Kelly Coffey in Conversation with Operation Hope

City National CEO discusses her career and her commitment to making a difference.

City National’s CEO Kelly Coffey recently participated in a virtual conversation with fellow CEO John Hope Bryant of Operation Hope, the country’s largest financial literacy and economic inclusion organization. The topics included Kelly’s career path, her leadership over the past eighteen months, the ways City National has stepped up for its clients, colleagues and communities, and the responsibility of the private sector to effect positive societal change.

The conversation was part of the Hope Global Forum 2021 Annual Meeting, a conference focused on empowering underserved communities and reimagining the global economy so the benefits and opportunities of free enterprise are extended to everyone. The theme of this year’s event was “Meeting the Moment,” and the agenda focused on how global leaders have met this unprecedented moment in history with respect to the pandemic, economic upheaval and the ongoing racial reckoning.

When asked what sort of career advice she’d offer to women, Kelly said, “You have to have confidence in yourself. Know your stuff, sweat the details, but you have to have confidence in yourself. I’ve observed women working for me when I want to give them a promotion or ask them to run a bigger business. Nine times out of 10 they’ll say, ‘I’m not sure I’m ready,’ and I have to tell them I wouldn’t have picked you if I didn’t think you were going do a good job.”